The present invention generally relates to a light conducting member for guiding sunlight or the like incident on one end thereof to a desired location and, more particularly, to a bundle of light conducting cables which constitutes the light conducting member and are integrated at one end thereof to form the light incidence end.
Effective use of solar energy is the key to energy saving today and has been studied in various fields actively. For the most effective use of solar energy for lighting and like applications, solar energy has to be availed as it is without being transformed into thermal energy, electrical energy or like different kind of energy. The applicant has proposed in various forms a system in which a lens or the like converges solar energy into a light conducting cable so that the solar energy may be transmitted therethrough to a desired location. Lighting with the solar energy, compared to the traditional electric lighting, eliminates the fear of leakage when used under water or the fear of spark when used in a gaseous atmosphere and, hence, it is desirable from the safety standpoint.
To guide a sufficient intensity of energy for lighting or the like, a number of light conducting cables may be bundled up to constitute a single light receiving end on which the converged light will become incident. Difficulty has been experienced in effectively introducing light into the light receiving end of the cable assembly in a substantially even intensity distribution.